Gran Turismo 5 - Driving Technique Guide

Gran Turismo 5 Walkthrough

The theory behind Gran Turismo 5's racing aesthetic is this - if your car is faster than everyone else's and you know how to drive it, you win. It's as simple as that. There's no difficulty tiers or difficult opponents, just fast cars.

Here's how it works, when you join a certain race in a specific Rank tier (Amateur, Beginner, Professional, Expert, Extreme, and Endurance), take a look at the kinds of cars that your opponents are driving. If you have a car or purchase one that qualifies for that race, simply upgrade it as much as you can. You want to have a car that has more Horsepower and the appropriate racing tires. If your vehicle has more than 200 horsepower above your opponents, then you can outrace them. It's as simple as that.

The only difficult parts is learning how to drive the car and maneuver it around the track! There are numerous race courses and some of them are very technical (like Nurburgring Nordschleife) and require skills. Don't think that just because your car is faster than everyone else's that you can just win. The reason is that if you don't know your way around the course, you'll end up screwing up and next thing you know, you're in last place simply because you can't maneuver the track!

.DRIFTING VERSUS DRAFTING

Drafting is when your car absorbs the slipstream of the car in front of you. When Drafting, the slipstream causes your car to increase revs and go faster for a short period of time. To Draft a car, simply drive behind it (you have to be within a car's length distance) and the car will zoom a little faster. This is a great technique to use when catching up to other cars if you fall behind or are trying to catch up to the lead. NASCAR is a good example of cars that use Drafting to win a race.

Drifting is when you slam on the Brakes and then maneuver your car around corners without stepping on the gas. As you maneuver the car while Drifting, step on the gas AFTER you make the corner turn (AKA Slow In, Fast Out) to keep from losing revs after Braking. Drifting is an advanced maneuver that will take some time to master but isn't diffuclt to learn. Most cars that have 4WD or MR drivetrains are capable of Drifting (plus the added effect of the tire smoke).

I highly suggest using the Drifting technique when racing on technical courses that have multiple corners and for races that are on speedways (like Daytona), use Drafting.
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+++ A DAY AT THE RACES +++

IMPORTANT 1.05 DOWNLOAD UPDATE!!!

This guide is based on the new settings that are implemented from the 1.05 patch. If you have not downloaded the 600 MB patch, I highly recommend that you do so because the patch fixes a lot of missing issues from the game.

Three new sections (and a few other inclusions) are added onto the GT Life Menu with the 1.05 Update:

SEASONAL EVENTS (A-SPEC ONLY)

The Seasonal Events are special races (Bonus Races, Time Trial, Drift Trial) that are updated Online that garner extra Experience Points and Cash. For Bonus Races, you are required to race a specific vehicle in 5 laps with NO restrictions. You gain prize money for the rank that you finish but only once. If you rank lower than the previous race, you gain no money or EXP. If you rank higher on a repeat race, you gain more prize money and EXP. If you win First Place, you win the entire cash pot. Once you win it all, you cannot gain anymore money and EXP (but you can still re-do the race).

Every two weeks, the Bonus Races change and a new set of courses and cars are chosen. I highly recommend doing these races IF you have the money for the cars these races require (plus the tune-ups). It's a great way to level up quickly and gain lots of money.

For the Time Trial and Drift Trials, you are given specific cars and specific conditions in order to complete the trial. There is no money or EXP to gain from either of these Trials, so only attempt these if you want to rank yourself on the Leaderboards.

ONLINE DEALERSHIP

The Online Dealership allows for you to purchase vehicles are NOT on sale at the New Dealership or only shown up randomly at the Used Car Dealership. Cars such as Pick-up trucks, JGTC cars, Historic cars, and the Formula GT car are always on sale here.

--ONLINE LOBBY
The Online Lobby is the place to find Online races. I haven't tried this one yet, so I got no news to report.

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TYPICAL OPPONENTS & TIRE RESTRICTIONS CHANGED (A-SPEC ONLY)

(1) For A-Spec mode, the 1.05 update changes ALL of the tire restrictions to UNRESTRICTED. This means you can choose ANY kind of tire for these races (Comfort, Sports, or Racing) if you have the money to buy them. Unfortunately, this does not apply to B-Spec where restrictions are still imposed.

(2) Whenever you choose a race in A-Spec or B-Spec, you can view what vehicles your opponents will be driving and the HP and weight of their cars. The Typical Opponents icon is located next to the REQUIREMENTS icon in the race menu. This should give you an idea of what to expect from the upcoming race and make necessary purchases.

--CAR GIFTING (ONLINE ONLY)

--MENU MUSIC LOCATION
You can now change the Music from the GT Life Menu instead of the Options Menu. Go to the MUSIC icon in the GT Life Menu and then choose the asterisk to choose your own choice of background music in the Music folder in your PS3.

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NEW 1.06 & 1.07 UPDATE INFORMATION

The new updates add a few more cosmetic changes to the game (such as Performance Points), but there are TWO main changes that were implemented in the latest updates that you need to know about.

#1 – DECREASED CASH/INCREASED EXPERIENCE

Yes, it seems the devs at Polyphony didn't like the fact that most of the gamers weren't reaching higher levels. So to solve the problem, they've INCREASED the amount of XP that you gain per race by nearly 5x the value. Since this applies to every race, you can now reach a higher level much quicker than before on A-Spec and B-Spec!

But with the new XP increase is the DECREASE of the cash value per race. That means that any race that had a certain cash prize amount before you downloaded the 1.06 update has since been decreased by an amount of nearly 40%.

For example, the cash and XP value for one race in the Gran Turismo All Stars tier was $52,800 Cash/4200+ XP. After the 1.06 update, the value for the same race becomes $44,000 Cash/19,763 XP. See the difference? Less cash but more Experience Points.

#2 – GIFTING FOR EXPENSIVE CARS DISABLED

This new rules has caused quite the storm of controversy. Polyphony has now made it a rule that any car that has a net worth of $1 million CANNOT be traded Online to anyone on your Friends list! So if you were part of a Message board community that traded the more expensive and exotic GT5 cars Online, you are royally SCREWED. The game still allows you to "loan/borrow" cars, though.

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+++ THE INVISIBLE RULES OF GT5 +++

If you haven't played a Gran Turismo game before, be prepared for a world of unnecessarily aggravating frustration. When you make your attempts at the License Tests or certain Special Events, you will encounter what is known as the "Invisible Rules".

"Invisible Rules" are ground rules set by the development team to show you how completely stupid a driver you really are. This means that if you do a certain thing wrong during the License Test or Special Event, it will automatically DISQUALIFY you and you'll need to redo the test or event again.

The Invisible Rules require that you complete a License Test or Special Event without doing ANY of the following things:

--BUMP/CRASH INTO WALLS
--BUMP/CRASH INTO OTHER CARS
--DRIVE OVER TURF OR SAND
--OVERSTEER AT THE SHOULDER

NON-EXCEPTIONS:
--If another car bumps into your car, YOU get an automatic disqualification.
--If you hit an Orange cone, you get disqualified.
--If you cut corners, you get disqualified.

If you do these things (which you absolutely will), you fail the test or event and have to redo it until you get it right. It's a wildly exaggerated fundamental game flaw that the GT5 game developers seem to enjoy imposing on the gamer, but if you can get past all these stupid-ass Invisible Rules, you can pass these tests or events with ease. Or not.

Be aware that NONE of these rules apply to A-Spec, B-Spec, and the Bonus Races in the Seasonal Events section (…..thank god).

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+++ TUNING UP YOUR CAR TO THE MAX +++

As soon as you start winning races and gaining more Cash, use it at the Tuning Shop to get the most out of your vehicle! The more you spend tuning up your car, the better and faster it will perform.

The list below will give you a one-by-one breakdown on which parts you should purchase when upgrading your car. If you have the Cash, then BUY BUY BUY!

BODY/CHASSIS

I only recommend getting the Weight Reduction if the vehicle you have has more than 500 HP or more. With a car that runs past 500 HP, you need to be as light as it can possibly be. Purchase the first two Reductions to weigh down your vehicle by at least 30% of its original weight.

This is useful when tuning large cars like the Bugatti, Audi, Dodge, etc. Also, the smaller compact cars tend to be just as heavy (like the Civics, Peugeot, Yaris), although weighing them down won't make them any lighter than their original weight.

**You don't need to buy the Window Reduction or the Hood Covers because they only reduce the car by 15 kgs total.

ENGINE

It's imperative that you purchase ALL the Engine upgrades! The most important one is the ECU Tuning chip. Even if you're low on Cash, the ECU Tuning chip is cheap enough and can increase your car's HP by at least 20-50 HP or more.

When buying the Engine Upgrades, you have to buy them in the order which they appear. So buy the Stage 1, then Stage 2, and then Stage 3 upgrades. Be aware that for smaller vehicles, the Stage 3 upgrade will only increase the HP by 3 or 4 HP, so buy the upgrade at your own discretion!

INTAKE SYSTEM

It's a MUST that you purchase the Sports Intake Manifold! Never race a car without it! And when choosing between the two Filters, select the RACING AIR FILTER. These are the only two upgraded parts you need from this tier.

EXHAUST

There are three choices for the Exhaust plus two additional Exhaust parts. Unlike the Engine Upgrade, you DO NOT need to buy all three Exhaust pipes! Simply purchase the Titanium Racing Exhaust ($10,000) to get the most out of your car.

And then be sure to also purchase the Sports Exhaust Manifold and the Catalytic Sports Converter to maximize your Exhaust needs.

TURBO KITS

Nearly every car (except the American Sports cars) can get a 3-Stage RPM Upgrade. But just like the Engine Upgrade section, you DO NOT need to purchase the RPM Upgrades in order. Simply purchase the Stage 3 RPM Upgrade to maximize your Turbo needs.

Most Racing Cars that have already been pre-modded cannot be upgraded - although some are open for a Stage 3 RPM Upgrade. If the option is available for it, get it!

And the Supercharger can usually only be installed into American Sports cars (like the Chevy Corvette or Dodge Challenger, etc.). If the game gives you the option to choose between the RPM Upgrade or the Supercharger, IGNORE THE SUPERCHARGER! The reason is because the Supercharger doesn't make your car go "faster" in terms of speed, it only makes it Rev the Engine at a faster pace so that you can throttle faster.

TRANSMISSION

Without question, IGNORE the 5-Speed and 6-Speed Transmission upgrade! If you really want to smoke the competition, purchase the CUSTOMIZED TRANSMISSION option! It will run you for $20,000 but it can do all kind of wonders for your car.

By purchasing the Customized option, it allows you to change the Speed settings in the Tuning Menu and increases the RPM speed from 500 up to 1000 extra RPM! For example, if you purchase a car that has 8000 RPM, the Customized Transmission will increase it up to 9000 RPM! If you got the Cash, get it!

DRIVETRAIN

There are numerous items in the Drivetrain section and you only need THREE of them. Purchase the TWIN PLATE CLUTCH, SEMI RACING FLYWHEEL, and the CARBON DRIVE SHAFT (if it is available for your car).

The Torque Sensing Center Differential is mostly used in cars that have a 4WD Drivetrain. This device enables you to switch between the amount of Torque between the front and rear tires. It isn't really a necessary item, so leave it alone.

As for the Adjustable LSD, I've found very little use for this device, so I can't really recommend buying it. The LSD is usually available to purchase on vehicles with an MR drivetrain.

All in all, just purchase those three items and you're good to go!

SUSPENSION

For this section, I only recommend purchasing the FIXED SPORTS KIT. This item will allow any car you drive to have just enough suspension to withstand the Racing in the game. And unless you are an expert at tuning a car's Suspension, I suggest that you avoid buying the Customizable Kit.

TIRES

The best and most important set of tires your car will EVER need are Racing Tires. Comfort Tires and Sports Tires are cheap enough and will get you through the first couple of races, but as you reach higher levels, the races become more intense and faster.

I highly recommend that you always purchase a set of RACING TIRES MEDIUM for every car that you race in A-Spec Mode. These tires can outlast any race and have enough traction and grip to make your car speed faster than normal.

.***NOTE: If you purchase any upgrade but did not install it on the car, the item will be placed into your ITEMS Inventory in the GT Life menu. To use that item, go to the ITEMS sections (it's the briefcase icon), and select the item you want to install on your currently selected car.

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+++ MAINTAINING YOUR CAR +++

CAR WASH & OIL CHANGE

A Car Wash isn't always necessary but it can give your car the extra piece of shine! But when it comes to Oil Changes, it is a MUST! Anytime your purchase a New or Used car, immediately take it here for an Oil Change and the car's HP will increase by about 3-5 HP (or more if it's a Sports car). When buying a Used car, the Oil levels will be really cruddy (it actually turns black), so ALWAYS change the Oil on those Used Cars!

As you start winning races and using the same car multiple times, the Car's Oil levels will start to decrease your car's performance resulting in lower HP. I recommend getting an Oil Change after every 10 Wins to keep the Car fresh and keep the HP high.

PAINT JOB & WHEELS

Paint jobs can be selected for all Premium Cars and a select number of Standard models. If you have a Paint chip that you want to use, select it and the shop will paint the car. As for Wheels, you can only buy Wheels for Premium non-Modded cars! Standard Cars are out of the question! Also, once you buy a new set of Wheels, you can also choose to Paint them any color from your Paint Inventory.

AERO KITS

Aero Kits are usually plastic air ducts and Spoilers that are custom installed for a faster Aerodynamic performance on your Car. The majority of the cars in the game (except pre-modded ones) can usually have Aero Kits installed. I highly recommend buying the Aero Kits (all of them) but only if you will use it on a Car that will be driven multiple times.

ENGINE OVERHAUL & CHASSIS RIGIDITY

As you continue to race the same car over and over again, the Car's engine will start getting weary and the Chassis will start getting heavier. When you purchase a New car, you don't need to worry about the Overhaul or Chassis.

But when you purchase a Used Car, the car's engine and Chassis will need some serious repairs (especially if it's a Used pre-modded Sports vehicle). If you have the money, PAY for the repairs! If not, then you'll have to deal with the car's problems! Also, be aware that for selected cars, overhauling the Engine will set the car's HP and RPM back a few notches, so you'll need to break-in the car (again).

On Premium Cars, I suggest getting the Overhaul and Chassis fixed after every 30 races. Your car should be able to handle the tough roads before needing some fix-up.

RACING MODIFICATIONS

To be honest, Racing Modifications is a TOTAL waste of hard-earned money. There are only a select number of New and Used cars that can be Modded and when you choose to Mod them, the car receives a series of added features and a new paint job.

But you can technically Mod the car yourself with the same exact features (only without the pre-selected paint job) without spending all that wasted cash. In essence, all the Racing Modification does is add an Aero Kit and a Customized Transmission to the car, THAT'S IT!

There's no special voodoo trickery here! If you were to purchase the Aero Kits and the Customized Transmission on your own, you basically just Modded your own car! I highly suggest that you AVOID using the Racing Modification option and just buying the Modifications yourself from the Tune-Up Shop (unless you were purposely aiming to score a Bronze Trophy achievement).

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+++ RECOMMENDED SETTINGS FOR RACES +++

Now that you're ready to race, let me make a suggestion with the Driving Options. When you start a race, go to the Driving Options icon (the Wrench icon) to open a list. Change the settings to the ones below:

DRIVING LINE: ON

TRACTION CONTROL: 2

SKID RECOVERY FORCE: ON

ACTIVE STEERING: MILD

ACTIVE STABILITY MANAGEMENT: ON

ABS: 1

CONTROLLER STEERING SENSITIVITY: ZERO

.***NOTE: These settings are meant for drivers that tend to use Drifting and very little Braking. If you find that you are using the Brakes too many times or can't Drift effectively, then change the settings to a style that suits your skills. Once you've gotten used to handling the courses, go back and use my settings above. It will help greatly in the higher levels!

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BEGINNER'S SERIES

Since you start the game at Level 0 and only have 20,000 credits to your name, there are only a select few cars for purchase from the New and Used dealerships. Your best bet at smoking the competition this early in the game is to purchase a vehicle that has at least 100 HP or more.

Nissan has some Level 0 cars that are within your budget, so give their cars a look. Once you purchase your car, give it an Oil Change (you should still have some Cash) and then enter the races!

Autumn Ring Mini is a short track that features two hairpin turns and a few curvy lanes. The only thing that you should be mindful for is the first hairpin turn at the beginning of the track. Be sure to brake and drift to gain a good lead.

Tsukuba Circuit is nothing but a giant hairpin track. It features three hairpin turns that are a bit hard to time correctly but shouldn't be difficult to do. Be sure to understeer at the hairpin turns so that you can cut off your opponents when they turn to gain the lead.

Winning in these three courses is not so difficult but since you are driving an FF vehicle, it'll take some getting used to the handling of these cars. In particular, braking with FF vehicles tends to cause oversteer, so DECELERATE if that happens and then quickly accelerate to avoid slipping and losing the lead.

Suzuka East is the shortened version of Suzuka Circuit. The course features a wide hairpin turn followed by a bunch of curvy lanes. Keep braking to a minimum and rely on drifting so that you don't oversteer at the curves.

Deep Forest Speedway is an intimidating course due to its numerous twists and turns. It features two hairpin turns and some tricky corners. You'll need to practice braking and drifting the corners of this track to avoid oversteer, which I guarantee will happen. It'll take a few tries, but you can do it!

This will be your first crack at the London track. The London course features FOUR super-sharp turns, which means you'll need to have your braking skills intact. When braking from sharp turns, make sure you turn the car as you brake so that it drifts into the corner. DO NOT make a full stop to make the turn or you will lose the lead.

The Madrid Mini course is pretty easy EXCEPT for the first hairpin turn at the end of the road. You'll need to brake early and drift the hairpin turn. If you brake too late, the car will hit the barriers, so watch the braking line!

The Cape Ring Mini course features a couple of curvy lanes and a hairpin turn. For the curvy lanes, you can simply drive over them (as long as you don't lose traction and slip) and watch for the hairpin turn at the end of the road!

There's a bunch of classic Japanese cars you can use for these races, but none of them are fast enough, so you'll have skip this contest for now until you obtain the Dome-Zero Concept car from the Supercar Nostalgia Cup in the Amateur tier.

Once you obtain the Dome-Zero, tune it up as much as you can and then race it! It'll be the fastest vehicle you'll use for these three races.

Fuji Speedway is a fairly simple track to race. There are five hairpin turns and a series of sharp turns. When you reach the last section of Fuji, you are required to do hard braking and then maneuver around some tricky hairpin turns. Use understeer and drive over the inner hairpin shoulder to avoid slipping.

The Cote D'Azur track is a frenzied course that features numerous sharp turns and two hairpin turns. The strategy to avoid oversteering in this tight road is to brake early and drift into the turns. If you brake late, your car will definitely smash the walls, so stay alert of the braking lines!

The Chevy Corvette convertible can be found in the New Dealership for a cool $50,000. You should have enough credits to buy this car, so buy it! Upgrade what you can afford and be sure to have Racing Tires!

This is your first crack at the Le Mans track with no chicanes. The track is fairly easy except for two super sharp turns in the third sector but, other than that, you should be able to win this one with ease. Take note that just before you reach the long straightaway, you can cut the corner and save a few seconds without having to brake.

The Eiger short tack course is VERY tricky because the beginning of the course has four sharp hairpin turns that require some hard braking and turning. For this one, avoid drifting the hairpins and try to use understeer to cut off your opponents when making the turn. Once you get past the fourth hairpin, you should be able to take the lead.

If you don't want to spend any cash for the Mazda Roadster or Miata, you're in luck! You can win a free Roadster by simply getting all Bronze medals in the A-License Tests, so do those tests if you haven't done so!

Otherwise, you can find some cheap-priced Roadsters in the UCD. But I highly recommend purchasing a NEW Roadster from the New Dealership. Tune it up as much as you can and race it!

**NOTE: DO NOT sell the Roadster before attempting this race in B-Spec Mode! The prize you get for winning this race in B-Spec is too good to pass up!

The Online Dealership will have a nice batch of pick-ups for you to purchase and I highly recommend buying the Ford F-150. When fully-tuned and weighted-down, it should go for 700 HP/6500 RPM @ 1400+ KG.

If you decide to use the Dodge Ram (which you can win for free from getting all Bronze medals in the International-C License Tests), be aware that even when fully-tuned and weighted-down, the Dodge Ram is STILL a heavy duty truck which can make it difficult when making bank turns, especially in B-Spec Mode.

This is your first crack at the Laguna course. The track features one sharp hairpin turn at the beginning of the course and five sharp turns. Just follow the braking lines and drift at the corners to maintain the lead.

**TURN OFF ALL DRIVING OPTIONS
Turn Traction, ABS, Skid Recovery Force, to the OFF position! You need your vehicle to maintain as much speed as possible with no braking whatsoever.

This is your first crack at the Daytona course (or second crack if you took the Jeff Gordon NASCAR School). The track is an oval-ish course which makes it easier to keep the car from oversteering when driving over the banks. Watch your vehicle as you turn the corner into the banks and AVOID hitting the wall! If you hit the wall, your car will lose acceleration!

And whatever you do, DO NOT use the brakes during the race! Instead of braking, simply decelerate for a quick second and then accelerate again. You need the car to go as fast as possible and don't forget to use drafting!

***On B-Spec Mode, your driver will be a little too brake-happy on this course (and I really don't know why). You'll need to instruct him to PACE UP at every possible moment, otherwise he will lose the lead! It will take multiple tries but eventually, your driver will finally listen and win the race. WHEW!

For this race, you should have a few Honda Civics in your Garage (which you obtained by winning the FF Challenge). Even though the Civic is a small car, it has a lot of power, so tune it up and race it!

**If you happen to have $4 million sitting in your bankroll, try and purchase the Suzuki Escudo (which is on sale at the Online Dealership). It's the perfect alternate!

This track is the same as the last time you raced here only there are TWO added chicanes. But you don't really need to drive on those chicanes. Rather than driving on them, simply zoom through them by driving on to the sand at full speed, this way you can avoid both of the chicanes and take the lead.

RECOMMENDED VEHICLE: ANY CAR FROM ALFA ROMEO
ALTERNATE VEHICLE: ANY CAR FROM FERRARI

If you have less than $500,000 in your account, then you're better off purchasing an Alfa Romeo vehicle and fully tuning it. But if you're already past the half-million dollar mark, then head over to the Ferrari dealership and purchase the Scuderia.

This is your first crack at the Monza track. The course features a very sharp right turn at the beginning and a few curvy lanes in between. The key to making the sharp right turn at the beginning is to brake early and then make the turn (don't drift into it) OR you can simply pile on with the rest of the cars and follow their lead.

At the next sharp turn, you can simply drive over the grass (but be careful) to avoid having to use full braking at the turn. From there, simply follow the driving line and you should be able to take the lead at the straightaway.

The Dodge Viper is your best choice for wining this contest. It's got enough horsepower to zoom past the other American cars in these races. If the Viper is too costly, then choose the Ford GT or Chevy Camaro '10.

It's unfortunate that a lot of the Japanese cars from the 80's are so tacky and crappy! The only car in your garage that is fast enough to outrace the others is the Honda Mugen Motul. Upgrade and tune-up what you can and race it!

The Lamborghini dealership only has FOUR Premium cars to choose from and the best choice is the Gallardo. The reason is that there are TWO more Lamborghini contests in the game and purchasing the Gallardo will be best-suited for all of them.

There are FOUR types of British brands at the New Dealership – Jaguar, Lotus, TVR, and Aston Martin. Lotus and TVR have some nifty choices in terms of lightweight cars and I recommend choosing one of the Lotus Elise cars and then tuning it up to the max.

A good alternate vehicle is the Jaguar XJ13 '66 (yes, THAT Jaguar XJ13). It weighs in at 998 KG and should have 3x the horsepower than the Lotus and TVR.

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I'll say it right here, right now – the Top Gear Test Track is the dumbest track in the entire game! Could there be ANY other track that is horrificly bland yet so easy-to-cheat with? This track SUCKS.

If you've tried the Top Gear Track in the Special Events section, you'll notice that the figure-8 track has a ton of orange cones highlighting where to go. For A-Spec mode, you can easily ignore those cones and drive off-course in the direction you need to go. It's really THAT easy and that dumb!

**Unfortunately, your B-Spec driver won't notice that he can cheat in this course so you'll have to deal with it!

By this point in the game, the races become longer and your opponents are much faster. Before taking on this 5-race Championship, purchase a fast car that can handle over 8000+ RPM or more.

A good first choice would be to purchase the Lexus LFA '10 from the New Dealership. When fully-tuned, the Lexus LFA '10 can reach a maximum of 714 HP/9400 RPM, which is all the power you need for these five races.

Also, be sure to equip the car with RACING TIRES! It's a very important tip because if you stick with SPORTS or COMFORT tires, you will get SMOKED by your opponents regardless of how fast your car can go.

For B-SPEC, I suggest using either the Toyota Minolta or Formula GT. If you won the Minolta in A-Spec Mode, use it here to outrace your competition. If you bought the Formula GT, consider these races WON.

From here on in, the races start becoming more intense and a lot more expensive! Any car that you've used up to this point (or will think of using) definitely needs to be upgraded to the MAX in order to ensure a victory.

There are a few races where you can get by with minor vehicle tuning but, by this point in the game, you should have enough cash to start paying for high-end tune-ups and parts for your car! Don't attempt the Expert Series unless you've got a vehicle that can match up to the other monsters in this tier!

The prize that you won from the GT Championship in A-Spec and B-Spec should be good enough to use for these next five races. Use a fully-tuned Bugatti Veyron for A-Spec and a fully-tuned Pagani Zonda for B-Spec and you should win with no problems. Plus it's a great way to break-in those new cars!

The cars that this race requires are quite expensive and a bit unwieldy to drive. Cars like the Ferrari and Ford have some slippery Suspension problems, but are still fast cars regardless. I suggest purchasing the Ferrari Scuderia or Ford GT and tuning it up to the max for A-Spec and B-Spec Mode.

The Historic Racing Cup is quite possibly the second toughest race to win in both A-Spec and B-Spec considering that the cars used for these races are WAY overpriced and not very easy to use when you get one.

For the Historic Racing Cup, I tested out FOUR different historic cars: the Toyota 7 Race Car '70, the Jaguar XJ13 '66, the Ferrari 330 P4 Race Car '64, and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. I was able to win 1st place trophies using each car in the Deep Forest course. Read the section below to see how each one handles in this course.

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TOYOTA 7 RACE CAR '70

You'll notice that anytime you tackle and maintain a lead in the Deep Forest course, the Toyota 7 is the car that will mostly be trailing directly behind you (it's the white car that has "TOYOTA" sprawled on it's spoiler). That's because this car is really that fast! Out of the 11 Historic cars in the race, the Toyota 7 is the best one of the bunch.

The Toyota 7 has a much faster engine and higher horsepower when fully tuned and Modded (924 HP/8000 RPM) and is the one Historic car of the bunch that has a slightly-balanced suspension. I say "slightly" because the Toyota 7 can start slipping very easily when making turns but, other than that, this car is your best bet at winning BOTH races with total ease.

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JAGUAR XJ13 RACE CAR '66

The green Jaguar car is one of those fast cars that take a few seconds to rev up and gain speed. When compared to the Toyota 7, the Jaguar simply pales. A fully modded Jag can go as high as 700 HP/7500 RPM, which makes it a fast car but not against the much stronger Toyota 7.

When braking on turns and corners, the Jag can tend to slide off and lose acceleration causing the car to slow down for a few seconds before being able to rev up. It's not a major factor but it can be dangerous if you oversteer, so be mindful of those braking lines!

JAGUAR TIP: When you gain the lead with this car in the Deep Forest course, the only way to keep your lead from being taken away by the Toyota 7 is to NOT make any mistakes! Since the Toyota 7 is constantly drafting after you, one small slip-up in braking or a bump on the wall will allow the Toyota 7 to slip past you in a split second, causing you to lose the lead! If this happens, consider restarting the race because trying to catch up to the Toyota 7 from that point on is pointless.

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FERRARI 330 P4 RACE CAR '67

The red Ferrari car is probably the lightest Historic car with the heaviest suspension I've tried. This car has some deadly oversteering properties which can end up hurting you if you can't control the car! When Drifting with this vehicle in the Deep Forest course, you'll need to slow down and then tap the throttle in order to make the turn because if you simply throttle down after a turn, the car will oversteer and cause you to go off-course very easily.

In terms of speed, the 330 P4 holds a slightly higher advantage over the Jaguar (it's 200 kgs lighter). It has better Drafting abilities and is easy to maintain a lead….but only if you can get past its super-high drifting learning curve, that is.

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CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 (C2) RACE CAR '63

This car is the slowest of the four Historic cars that I tested. While it has the same amount of speed as the Jaguar, the Corvette has heavy suspension which can really slow you down when making turns.

In order to gain the lead with this car, you'll need to use some tricky cutting and quick steering between the other cars. And it also helps if the Toyota 7 isn't at the front of the line. Just like the Jaguar, make little mistakes through the course and you should be able to win with this car. BARELY.

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Before I forget, here's how to obtain the three Historic cars mentioned above:

The Toyota 7 is won from the Like The Wind races in B-Spec Mode, the Jaguar XJ13 is won from the Indianapolis 500 in A-Spec (or from the New Dealership for $20 million), the Ferrari is found in the New Dealership for $20 million, and the Chevrolet Corvette can be found in the Used Dealership in random intervals for about $750,000. Choose your car wisely!

.DO NOT USE THE CARS LISTED BELOW FOR A-SPEC OR B-SPEC!!!

--LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH '74
--SHELBY COBRA 427 '67
Both of these cars are NOT Historic cars! If you do use them, you will not be able to gain a lead due to the shoddy suspension and terrible handling and cornering of both of these cars. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

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--1970 FORD MUSTANG TRANS-CAMMER
DO NOT BUY! I was duped into buying and modifying this monster vehicle only to find out that the game does NOT consider this a Historic car NOR can it be used in this race! AVOID PURCHASING AT ALL COSTS!

TIPS: If the Toyota 70 car is practically outpacing you, then you have to get dirty and ram it off the road! If you can pace up and get near the Toyota 70, ram it hard enough so that it slips off the course (watch your car as well!). The Toyota 70 tends to have a very difficult time when it gets off-course, so do yourself a huge favor and knock it out!

A lot of the cars in this race are all JGTC (Japanese Grand Touring Championship) caliber vehicles and are quite fast. Your best bet at beating these cars is to skip this race until you obtain the Toyota Minolta in the Extreme tier.

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Now that you've unlocked the Extreme Series, you need to have your skills intact and a LOT of patience because the next series of races will require grueling amounts of laps and a REALLY fast car. Read on for all the tips and tricks!

***AVOID USING THE BUGATTI FOR THIS RACE! Even though the Bugatti Veyron has mega-horsepower, it still has a massive weight of 1800 KG (or 1400 KG when weighed down), which practically makes it a giant paperweight.

This race is the toughest of two and is the cause of lots of frustration for everyone! All the cars zoom past you like rockets and its damned near impossible to keep up. For this race, you'll need a vehicle that has over 900 BHP and weighs less than 1000 KGs and, believe it or not, I actually WON this race using the most under-powered car I could find!

Instead of spending lots of money on a Racing Mod Corvette (as indicated on numerous message boards), I used the Mazda Furai Concept '08 vehicle. That's right, THAT car! The Mazda Furai Concept only has 562 BHP but weighs in at a whopping 650 KGs! This pretty much makes it the slowest yet lightest car of the bunch. And since the car weighs two times LESS than the other monsters, it gives you a bigger advantage when making those dreadful turns.

Before starting the race, go to DRIVING OPTIONS and turn them all OFF. You want Max Speed at all costs. When you make the bank turns, drive UNDER the Driving line without Braking (decelerate at the brake lines instead). Everytime you do this, it gives you the lead for a few seconds. To keep your lead from slipping away, watch for the cars behind you and bump them off whenever they get close to you (especially near the Finish Line). If you lose the lead, just repeat the strategy again.

It took about 3 tries to get the strategy above done correctly, but it enabled me to win this tough race without having to spend any cash for car modifications! Try it and see if you can do it!

If you haven't done them yet, go to the Jeff Gordon NASCAR School and complete the Level 21 tests. Once you score Gold medals in all three tests, Jeff will give you a FREE NASCAR vehicle! This saves you from having to pay $500,000 at the New Dealership.

Unfortunately, due to NASCAR restrictions, all NASCARS need to have the same weight and speed. In your case, the only thing you can do is give your NASCAR an Oil Change, which will increase your speed from 850 HP to 890 HP (892 when broken-in). This increase won't really make your NASCAR go any faster, but every bit helps.

+++NOTE: For this series, you only need to win THREE races out of the five!

The Indy Speedway course is fairly the easiest of the NASCAR super speedway courses. All it takes some nifty undercutting skills at all four corners of the track to maintain a wide lead. Once you gain the lead, continue to use the corners and you should win by a landslide (Yes, including B-Spec).

++NOTE: In B-Spec Mode, your driver can get a bit lazy after a few laps in the lead position. This usually means they end up using the Brakes a little too much in corners resulting in them slowing down rather than throttling. Watch your driver and continue to command them to PACE UP whenever it seems the opponents are inching closer. The last thing you want is to lose the lead due to a lazy driver!

In A-Spec Mode, it's all a matter of careful Drafting skills and some dirty driving. Remember to Drift past the opponents near Braking lines and you should be able to gain the lead mid-way through the first lap. From there, maintain the lead!

In B-Spec Mode, you'll most likely be having a TON of trouble getting your driver to listen to your commands for this race. Instead of Overtaking the opponent, your driver will spend the majority of the race trailing behind the lead car! I DON'T KNOW WHY!!! For this race, just cross your fingers and hope that your driver has a Hot enough personality to want to Overtake! If your driver DOES take the lead, it shouldn't take more than 3 laps for him to do it. If they can't take the lead by the start of the Fourth lap, then take your chances with whatever position they finish the race.

Taking the lead in A-Spec Mode should be easy for you. Just use minimal Braking and lots of careful Drifting (especially during those tricky S-turns before the tunnel) and you should have a good lead for most of the race.

In B-Spec Mode, it's a 50-50 thing. Your driver can either take the lead mid-way through the first lap or spend half the race catching up. But regardless of their mood, winning in this course is much easier than at Grand Valley, so continue to hound your driver into Overtaking and you should win this race.

The Laguna course is, by far, the easiest course to win. Simply drive under the corners and you should win by a large margin.

In B-Spec Mode, it'll take about 3-4 laps for your driver to catch up to the lead and Overtake them. Once your driver is in the lead, let them take over and they should be able to maintain the lead without much direction from you. But you still need to keep an eye on your opponents because they might end up sneaking by you, so PACE UP when you see them trailing behind you!

You've made it to the last NASCAR Race and guess what? It's also the toughest one yet! Winning in Daytona is all a matter of complete luck and a little bit of strategy. First of all, you can instantly lose the lead after ONE lap in Daytona and then spend the majority of the race catching up. Also, your opponents are RELENTLESS and are willing to ram your car off the road without prejudice. There's no question about that!

In order to keep up with the opposition, you'll need to downgrade your car's performance in order to get maximum effect. Change the car's settings to the ones below:

These settings should give your car a slight advantage over the others, but only for a short while. Since the other cars have mega-super-ultra Drafting abilities (CHEATERS!!!), you'll only maintain the lead for 1-2 laps before everyone Overtakes you.

The main strategy I implemented for A-Spec Mode was to stay BEHIND the two lead cars. Rather than try to stay in the lead, I used a Trojan Horse trick on them. When the race starts, your car will have enough boost to take the lead, but you'll instantly lose it mid-way down the track, but THAT is where the trick begins!

When the other cars drive past you, try to maintain a 3rd or 4th place lead by accelerating and decelerating to maintain your speed (don't use the Brakes). What this trick does is it gives you the advantage to Overtake the lead cars at the embankment. Since you're going full speed and aren't using the Braking lines, you'll Overtake the lead cars (who are following the Braking lines religiously) and gain the lead for a few seconds which is all the time you need when you get past the Finish Line. Give it a try during various laps and you'll see what I mean.

Don't worry about the other cars trailing you and simply focus on maintaining that 3rd or 4th place lead. By the 9th or 10th lap, slam down on the gas and Overtake the lead cars at the embankment and you should be able to zoom past them as they Brake at the embankment and you'll be able to overtake and win by plain trickery!

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In B-Spec Mode, the trick mentioned above works the same! Rather than instructing your driver to PACE UP or OVERTAKE, use the MAINTAIN PACE command for the whole race. What this does is it lets your driver stay behind the lead cars for the first half of the race. Continue to use the Maintain Pace command and by the 10th lap or so, your driver will cautiously end up in front with a sizable lead.

After your driver takes the lead, continue to use the Maintain Pace command and the driver should be able to stay in the lead for most of the race. There will be a few times where other cars will zoom past you, but don't panic! Since the other cars will still use the Braking line, your driver will actually zoom past them at the embankment every time! Keep up this strategy for all 20 laps and you'll get the easy win.

The European Championship races consist of some very underpowered cars, which makes this easier said than done! Use either a fully tuned Pagani Zonda or a Lamborghini or Ferrari to complete these races.

***On B-Spec Mode, you'll need a second driver. Since the races consist of three times the amount of laps, your first driver will be depleted of Strength midway through the race. When that happens, take a Pit Stop and switch drivers.

I also highly recommend that your alternate driver have a B-Spec level of 20 or more, otherwise his Strength level will deplete just as quickly (which means switching back to your primary driver who's already got depleted Strength).

I highly suggest that you DO NOT purchase any of the German Touring Championship (GTC) cars that pop-up in the Online or Used Car Dealership! You can't fully upgrade them PLUS they all run at the same speed and RPM, which makes these GTC races similar to the NASCAR Series.

To smoke the competition in these races, the Audi R8 LMS Race Car is the perfect choice. The Audi R8 only shows up in random intervals at the UCD, so buy it when you see it! While it may not have the same Revs as the GTC cars (fewer than 8300 RPM compared to 11500 RPM), it can still run faster than all of them (590 HP for the GTC cars compared 725 HP for the Audi).

Is it possible to win these races using a GTC car? Yes, but it'll take some dirty driving skills in order to keep from losing your first place lead.

Just like in the German Touring Car and NASCAR races, the Japanese Grand Touring Championship Cars (JGTC) all run at the same speed and Revs. If you buy a JGTC car, be ready to fight for first place against the other cars! Since these races don't require a JGTC Car, simply use any fast Japanese car like the Toyota Minolta.

But if you REALLY want to outrace everyone by a large margin, spend your cash at the Online Dealership for a Formula GT. It will solve all your problems!

***On B-Spec Mode, you'll need a second driver as an alternate. Since the races consist of three times the amount of laps, your first driver will be depleted of Strength mid-way through the race. When that happens, take a Pit Stop and switch drivers.

I also highly recommend that your second driver have a B-Spec level of 20 or more, otherwise his Strength level will deplete just as quickly (which means switching back to your primary driver who's already got depleted Strength).

**NOTE: AVOID USING THE CADILLAC CIEN CONCEPT '02! The Cadillac Cien is probably the fastest American car you can use but it has the absolute WORST handling and terrible Suspension! DO NOT bother upgrading or using this piece o' crap car!

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The Dodge Viper ACR is the only other American car of the bunch that can be fully upgraded to 1000+ HP, so spend your money on that little pony and tune it up and race it! The Viper tends to oversteer at times, but watch your speed and you should outrace the competition with little problems.

***In B-Spec Mode, it's a completely different story. Your B-Spec driver will have major difficulty trying to outrace the other American cars (don't ask me, I DON'T KNOW WHY) even when using a car like the Dodge Viper. Your best and only bet at winning these two races in B-Spec is to use the Ford GT LM Spec II car.

The Ford GT LM Spec II car is obtained by winning the Dream Car Series in A-Spec Mode. If you haven't reached that point in A-Spec Mode, then you got a LOT of catching up to do, so DO IT! The Ford GT is fast and light enough for your B-Spec driver to handle and gain the lead. Be aware that once he takes the lead, you need to keep an eye on him because he can easily lose that lead after one lap, so be prepared to PACE UP any time you see him getting trailed from behind!

The Formula GT Series is the single toughest set of races in the entire game. If you haven't raced with the Formula GT car yet, then be prepared to get outsmoked like never before! The Formula GT car handles like a giant racing Kart - only with a 7-speed transmission. The Formula car also has some very spotty drafting techniques, which makes drafting the other Formula cars difficult. Basically, when the Formula car is drafting, it gains speed but as it gets closer to the car in front of it, the Formula car starts to wobble. Only use drafting sparingly!

Plus, any bad turns you make will easily lose whatever lead you might've had and catching up will be a super-frustrating chore. My advice for these races is to take the Formula GT car and practice it on all six courses in Practice Mode. If you approach these courses blindly, you will only get left in the dust, so PRACTICE! Learn to get a handle on the car's durability and sensitive brakes.

But before you start practicing on those courses, you'll need to tune-up the Suspension on the Formula car! The default settings will make your car feel somewhat slower, so change the Suspension setting to the following numbers:

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Once you feel you've got the handle on these courses, you need to do the next step and Rebuild the Engine and Restore Chassis Rigidity. Since the Formula GT is a Used car, it'll have a ton of miles in it and some spotty engine and body work. Go to the Tune-Up shop and pay for the repairs for both of these problems. It should cost $500,000 each and you should have the cash for it, so pay it!

After all that is done, get ready to join the races! You need to win FIVE of the six races to nab the Gold Trophy, so GOOD LUCK.

The Fuji Speedway is your first test at how well you can maneuver the Formula car. At the first hairpin turn, understeer the cars and try to cut them off quickly to gain a big lead. From there, use drifting on corners to maintain the lead.

At the end of the course are FOUR hairpin turns. Use drifting to bank into the lanes and quick throttle to stay ahead of everyone. If you can continue this through all 20 laps, you should have no problems keeping the lead.

***In B-Spec Mode, you'll need to keep an eye on your driver! Once he takes the lead, use the PACE UP command a couple of times so that he can gain a sizable lead. Also, I highly suggest taking a Pit Stop after 20 laps to refuel and change tires. You want to give your driver at least 7-10 laps to catch up to the lead after the Pit Stop.

The Indy Road Course is a tricky course with lots of hairpin turns that can make driving through them a big hassle. On your first try, the Formula car will most likely slip and slide like crazy, but that's only because of the drafting. It also seems tempting to drive over the grass, but AVOID IT! If you drive over the grass, you WILL slip and the car will drift far off the course!

Instead of drafting after the cars in front of you at the hairpin turns, use clever driving. Since all the other cars are following the Driving Line so intently, you can drive past them by using light braking and drifting around the hairpin turns and undercutting them.

If done correctly, you should be able to take the lead just before hitting the straightaway in the middle of the track. From there, you should be able to maintain the lead for the whole race (as long as you don't slide off the track at the hairpins).

***In B-Spec Mode, your driver might end up Drafting too closely and end up spiraling out of control early in the race. Other than that, it shouldn't be too difficult for your driver to catch up to the lead. Again, take a Pit Stop after 20 laps and refuel! Give your driver at least 7-10 laps to catch up and then he should be able to keep the lead throughout the race.

The Cote D'Azur track is also a twisty and tricky course (but not as technically complicated as the Indy Road course). The trick here is to cut in front of the line at the first right bank turn.

When done correctly, you should be able to grab the lead or at least take a top 5 lead from the others. As you race up the hill, use careful drifting at the top so that you don't slide and smash into the rails. From there, use light Braking as you make your way downhill and over the next set of hairpin turns.

There is a (teeny) shortcut at the end of the downhill turn. Rather than make the chicane turn, slow down and carefully drive over the shoulders (if you go too fast, you'll hit the median) and then quickly throttle up. This should give you a 2-second lead over the other cars as they slow down to make the chicane turn.

***In B-Spec Mode, this course is possibly one of the most difficult to win of all the six courses. With the narrow streets and numerous sharp turns and chicanes, your driver will have a hard time Overtaking and Pacing up for most of the race. Also, it's possible that your driver may also end up spiraling out the car numerous times, so be ready to catch up to the others. Lastly, you DO NOT need to take a Pit Stop for this race.

The GP/F course is probably the most intimidating but also the EASIEST course of all six courses in this race. Why? Because of the shortcut at the last chicane!

Maneuver your way around the track and be ready to drive over the grass at the last chicane. If done correctly, you should be able to gain a 10-second lead over everyone else! For some reason, all the other cars that make this chicane turn tend to slip out of control and drive off the track! But as long as you have Skid Recovery Force turned on, you shouldn't have any problems slipping.

As long as you keep using this shortcut at every lap, you'll practically never have anyone drifting behind you for the entire race! This one should be a guaranteed win.

***In B-Spec Mode, your driver will not be aware of the shortcut at the end of the track. But even with that setback this track is fairly easy to gain a good lead after a few laps. Once your driver takes the lead, he should be able to maintain it for the whole race without any problems. Again, you DO NOT need to take a Pit Stop for this race.

This course can occur during Sunny, Cloudy, or Rainy weather, so be sure to equip the appropriate tires! The Monza track should also be easy for you to tackle at this point in the game. Just remember NOT to brake late at the first S-turn! If you brake late, you'll have difficulty getting through everyone else and cutting through.

And be sure to use the shortcut at the second S-turn and drive over the grass. If done correctly, you should be able to gain a 2-second lead over everyone else.

This course can also take place during Sunny, Cloudy, or Rainy weather. I highly suggest that you ONLY tackle this course when it's Sunny or Cloudy. Driving the Formula car while it rains on the Suzuka course is Murder!

The Suzuka course is probably the most difficult one to tackle in A-Spec due to its numerous twist and turns. Throughout the race, the other cars are constantly drafting after you, which makes it difficult to maintain the lead.

The first couple of twists at the start of the course require some tricky drifting. When trying to maintain the lead, you have to use minimal-to-no braking and quick throttling on those S-turns. Since the other cars that are behind you are constantly following the Braking line and it should give you a big lead as long as you don't Brake too much.

The only shortcut you can use is the one at the very end of the track. Rather than drive through the turns, simply zoom through it and then get back on the track and throttle it! If done correctly, this should give you a 1-second lead (yes, only ONE second) which is more than enough time.

At this point, you can consider yourself technically "done" with the main races. From here, it's all Endurance races which take up long hours and lots of patience.

So from here, you can either finish up the rest of the Special Events, License Tests, and Seasonal Events or you can read below for all the details for the Endurance tier!

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ENDURANCE SERIES

Welcome to the Endurance tier! If you've made it this far, then you certainly are worthy of trying out the grueling tests from this tier. Be aware that it requires patience and strategy in order to emerge as the victor.